'The Gospel Of John' Makes World Television Premier

The three-hour epic will be broadcast tonight and tomorrow afternoon on TBN

By Justin Camacho, Christian Post Correspondent Friday, July 22, 2005

Tonight, Trinity Broadcasting Network, the world’s largest religious network, will be airing the world television premier of Visual Bible International’s The Gospel Of John. The three-hour epic, which features a word for word narration of the Book of John by internationally acclaimed Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, will be shown tonight commercial free in its entirety at 7pm (PST) and again on Saturday, July 23 at 2:00pm (PST).

“The world premier of The Gospel Of John on TBN is a clear example of this network’s ever increasing commitment to broadcast thought-provoking venues that impact people from all walks of life in a positive and uplifting manner, while engaging their mind as well as their spirit,” says Paul Crouch Jr., Vice of President of Administration for TBN and eldest son of TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch.

Called, “a sprawling visually stunning work,” by the Seattle Times, The Gospel Of John features 75 principle actors including such notable talent as Daniel Kash as Simon Peter, Stephen Russell as Pontius Pilate, Scott Handy as John the Baptist, and Henry Ian Cusick in the lead role of Jesus Christ.

"To be offered the part of Jesus is a once in a lifetime chance to do it on film, and I don't think any actor would turn it down,” said Cusick. “It was a great challenge, and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it."

The Gospel Of John which opened on September 26, 2003 in select theaters across the U.S. has been considered by some to have been the pre-cursor to Mel Gibson’s hugely successful “The Passion of the Christ” which made box office history in 2004.

“Both films, though different in their creative portrayals of Christ, have shown Hollywood executives that people want movies that accurately depict the life of Christ and Bible events,” says Michael J. Vlach, Ph.D., founder of TheologicalStudies.org, a one-stop Christian information and news site.

It is estimated that The Gospel Of John could reach a potential global audience of 100 million during its televised world premiere on TBN.

For more information about the film, go to www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com.